Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole
on Jan 17, 2020, Updated Jan 30, 2024
Slow cooker breakfast casserole is the easiest way to make a delicious and filling breakfast. Make it the night before for a full breakfast the next morning or take it to your next potluck brunch.
Customize it with the veggies you most enjoy and dump in frozen hash browns. These shortcuts make it easy to feed a crowd, eat a healthy breakfast without a lot of effort or enjoy breakfast for dinner. With a seven quart slow cooker, your options are endless for feeding a crowd.
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How do you cook breakfast meat in the slow cooker breakfast casserole?
The method for cooking your meat for this crock pot breakfast casserole depends on the kind of meat you want to use.
I used bacon in the original recipe. I cooked in it a skillet before putting it in the crock pot. Bacon will not get crispy in the slow cooker so it’s best to cook that beforehand. You can do it in the skillet or oven. You could also eliminate this step and use precooked bacon or leftovers from another meal.
You could also use sausage in this recipe just as easily. You can put raw sausage in the crock pot, but I still recommend that you cook it fully in a skillet first. As long as the sausage reaches an internal temperature of 165F, it will be safe to eat. This will require cooking it for four hours at high or eight hours at low.
Other breakfast meats you could try are:
- Turkey bacon
- Turkey sausage
- Ham
- Lox
What veggies can you put in this crock pot breakfast casserole?
Besides the meat and eggs, you can put lots of fresh veggies in this slow cooker breakfast casserole.
I always use onions, green peppers and red peppers. Try some of these veggies too:
- Mushrooms
- Carrots
- Peas
- Zucchini
- Spinach
- Broccoli
- Roasted red peppers
- Tomatoes
Ingredients for Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole
- Frozen Hash Brown Potatoes (Note: I actually use shredded Has Browns, my image shows cubed)
- Eggs
- Milk
- Cheese
- Bacon
- Peppers
- Onions
How to Make Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole
First, grab your favorite large crock pot. I used my 7 quarts cast iron style. Then, add half of the bag of hash brown potatoes.
Next, you will need to add half of the bacon on top of the frozen potatoes.
Now, add half of the green peppers and half of the red peppers. Also, add half the onions.
Then, add half of the shredded cheese. Tip: use a brick of cheese and shred yourself, the results are much better than with store-bought pre-shredded cheese.
For the next step, you will repeat adding another set of layers of potatoes, meat, veggies, and cheese. Then, in a small bowl whisk together the eggs and milk. Now, pour the egg mixture on top of the layered casserole ingredients.
Finally, add a double thick paper towel to the top of the crock and place the lid to hold in place. Cook the breakfast casserole on warm for 8 hours or on low for 4 hours.
Note: All slow cookers cook differently. I have made this casserole MANY of times in both of my large slow cookers. It turns out wonderful each and every time.
Should I thaw frozen hash browns before putting in a crock pot breakfast casserole?
A breakfast casserole with frozen hash browns is easy to prepare.
If you preferred to use fresh potatoes, you can dice or shred them. You could also use sweet potatoes for even more healthy nutrients.
But the quickest way to make this casserole is using frozen hash browns. It is perfectly OK to dump the hash brown into the crock pot from frozen.
If you make this and find it’s a little runny, you may want to thaw out your hash browns next time. Frozen food keeps a lot more moisture that fresh. Just leave the hash browns in the refrigerator for a few hours before you plan to use them. Dry them on a paper towel before adding them to the casserole.
How do you know when a breakfast casserole recipe is done?
It can be difficult to tell when a breakfast casserole in the crock pot is completely cooked and ready to eat.
A knife slid into the middle of the casserole should come out clean. But if you have trouble telling the difference between uncooked egg and melted cheese, use a kitchen thermometer. Eggs should be 160F when they are cooked.
How do you keep scrambled eggs warm in a crock pot?
Not only is this a great recipe for breakfast or dinner, it can be taken to a potluck meal or family brunch.
Because we are making it in the crock pot, it can be kept warm for hours. Just leave the entire meal in the crock pot and set it to low. I do recommend you eat it within four to five hours if you keep the crock pot on. Eventually, it will dry out the eggs and they will start to become rubbery.
But that leaves you plenty of time to offer and protein packed hot meal to anyone who is visiting, even if they come in shifts!
You can also make this meal in the evening and have it ready for breakfast the next morning.
Other great make-ahead breakfasts are:
- Apple Overnight French Toast Casserole
- Cracker Barrel Copycat Hash Brown Casserole
- Biscuits and Gravy Casserole
Can you reheat crock pot breakfast casserole?
This works great as leftovers as well. If you want, make a huge batch and eat it for a few days for breakfast.
To reheat, pop a single piece into the microwave for a minute. To reheat larger potions, you can put it in the oven at 350F until warm all the way through.
Can you freeze hash brown breakfast casserole?
This recipe can be used for meal prep as well. You can freeze this either before or after you bake it.
If you want to freeze it before baking, mix together all of your ingredients in a glass container or a freezer safe foil dish. Cover it tightly and freeze.
You can bake this first or just freeze the leftovers. If you are meal prepping and plan to freeze the entire casserole, under cook it just a little. That way it won’t dry out while you are reheating it.
Allow the casserole to cool completely and then cover tightly.
Hash brown casseroles will last in the freezer for three months. Thaw it in the refrigerator before reheating. You can either dump it back into the crock pot or reheat in the oven until set and golden brown.
Another option for meal prep is to put everything in your crock and leave it in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook it. An uncooked breakfast casserole will last in the refrigerator for three to four days.
The slow cooker is great for making breakfast with less effort. If you have an Instant Pot and need a great breakfast casserole recipe made in a pressure cooker hop on over to a Typical Mom’s Instant Pot Breakfast Casserole recipe.
Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 bag Frozen Hash Brown Potatoes, 32 oz
- 1 lb Bacon
- 1 Small Onion diced
- 8 oz Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 1/2 Red Bell Pepper diced
- 1/2 Green Bell Pepper diced
- 12 Eggs
- 1 cup Milk
Instructions
- Cut bacon in to small pieces, cook and drain (You could use precooked bacon to speed up the process).
- Add half bag of hash browns to bottom of slow cooker.
- Add half your bacon.
- Add half your onions.
- Add half your green and red peppers.
- Add half your cheese.
- Add remaining hash browns.
- Add remaining bacon.
- Add remaining onions.
- Add remaining green and red peppers.
- Add remaining cheese.
- In a medium sized bowl beat eggs and milk together.
- Pour egg mixture over your casserole.
- Add salt and pepper on top.
- Put a double layer of paper towels on top of crock and place lid to hold in place.
- Cook on Low for 4 hours or warm for 8 hours.
I’ve had the same problem as several others have said. We cooked it in warm for nearly 12 hours, and it’s as runny as water. Very disappointing as we were bringing it for a brunch. You should clarify in the instructions that some (most) slow cookers need to be on a higher setting than warm so that people can decide for themselves how to cook it.
I’ve made this several times for my family & for my husband to take to an office breakfast. I cooked mine on high for 4 hours & it was perfect. The only complaint was that I didn’t make 2 of them…lol. I’m making 1 for family I’ve got it all ready except for eggs & milk. Usually I use 1/2 & 1/2 when I make scrambled eggs. Has anyone tried that with this recipe? With everything that’s in it I don’t think the extra calories will matter. I’ll let y’all know how mine turns out if I use it.
Would you be able to freeze this after making it? How would you wrap it up^?
Looked soo good I wanted to try it. Unfortunately after having it cooked on warm for 9 hours. The eggs are still runny and uncooked. I suggest cooking it on low and checking it early before everyone expects to eat it.
I did this in the Ninja on low and it was cooked in less than 2 hours. Switched over to warm. Hoping it’ll be just right by the time people arrive in 2 hours.
Update: Although the eggs had set up, I left it on low for two more hours and it turned out pretty good. I think next time I would definitely saute the peppers and onions before putting in the slow cooker. Otherwise, good recipe, very easy. As others have mentioned, lots of potatoes, but I like potatoes.
Would this work with just egg whites?
My granddaughter made this for a crowd Sunday morning. She had to cook it about an hour more than recipe called for, but it turned out wonderfully and was delicious!
This did not cook properly on warm. After 8 hours, the potatoes were not done and the liquid did not absorb.
I had the same problem on warm setting of crock pot. I assembled it at 12:30 am so I could take it to church at 9:30 am. I failed to check it at home (my bad), so at about 9:15 at church I checked it and it was Not even close to being done. Luckily, we had a microwave. But it took 15 minutes to cook in microwave checking it contantly and had to stir it up a lot. It tasted ok, but still a little watery and looked mushy. I may try again, but only when I have time to babysit it so I know it will be cooked. I am thinking it would take 8 hours on low setting or maybe 5-6 hours on high.
I tried this again but cooked it on low for about 8 hours. Perfect and delicons. It’s a definite keeper.
This was so good! I made it in my ~ 7 qt Hamilton Beach crock. Made a few tweaks:
– Sprayed crock with Pam
– Subbed two bone-in ham steaks for the bacon, cubed into small bites
– Subbed maybe 7-8 regular size red potatoes (not the baby ones) for the frozen hashbrowns, cut up into small pieces, threw in frying pan with oil, fresh rosemary, salt and pepper and lightly browned
– Hand shredded 8 oz swiss and 8 oz sharp cheddar and mixed both into the layers where indicated in the recipe
– Sprinkled some fresh rosemary throughout
– Caramelized an onion and added it to the dish
– Cooked on Low for 3-4 hours, then when it started to look brown around edges, turned to Warm for maybe 5-6 more hours. It probably would have been OK on Warm the whole time.
It was a hit at my work potluck breakfast!
what size slow cooker would you recommend ?
I actually wanted to make this & bought ingredients. But could never find a print button to print the recipe so gave up.
Why did you need to print a recipe? Chop the items and then layer them… pour scrambled eggs and milk over. It is worth the making.
This looks so good, and a nice stick to the ribs breakfast!
Very yummy. I wasn’t sure about the “cook on warm for 8 hours” but it was great! It didn’t burn…. I used breakfast sausage ( 1 tube) and a 1/2 stick of choirzo sausage to spice it up a bit… yummy! I also used tator tots as that is all I had… worked out great… I will be making it for my next big holiday event!! Halloween party here we come!
It was super good. I homeschool and feed my kids hot breakfast so it is wonderful to save time by having a crockpot ready to go. We have this recipe and steel cut oats in the crock pot every single week. So so good!
Going to try this, looks so good, wish you had a print option!
File > Print
I brought this to an office breakfast potluck and it went over pretty well. I reduced the hash browns to a 20ounce package of fresh shredded potatoes. I also reduced the milk to 1/2 a cup since folks said it was soupy, but it ended up a little dry, so I will use 1cup next time. I cooked it on low in my 4 quart crock pot for 8 hours. A knife inserted in the center came out clean after 7 hours, so I probably could have put it on warm for the rest of the time.
I think next time I will add chopped broccoli.
This breakfast entree was awesome! I modified the recipe, olive oil to coat crock, 8 fresh red potatoes shredded, layered with chopped ham off the bone with original suggested ingredients . Increased the cheese to 16 oz. then, in the egg mixture added 2 tablespoons of yellow mustard, salt and pepper. Cooked at low temp for 7 hours & it was a perfect texture. Had quiche like firmness. Traveled with it & kept warmed 15- 20 minutes til serving. Many compliments & no leftovers!
I just tried this recipe and follow the instructions as followed. A few things:
1. After cooking the casserole on warm for 8 hours it was still very, very water. I put the crockpot on High for two more hours and was able to it cooked up. The eggs didn’t really hold, however. I think the cook time needs to be more adjusted for this recipe.
2. It was tasty, but I agree with some of the other comments that it should have more cheese. It was pretty potato heavy.
3. I’d also add some additional spices to give it a little more flavor.
This did not work. I was wary of cooking the eggs on warm so I cooked them on low for two hours and them warm for the remaining six hours and it is like soup. I am throwing it out. The Jimmy Dean site says to cook on low for eight hours or high for four. I would like to try this again but I don’t want to waste any more food.
Have family & friends coming early morning. Want to give them a good breakfast with out a lot of stress. Thank u for this. U saved my day.